*This content was translated by AI.
The Korea Football Association announced on the 30th that the women's national team, led by head coach Shin Sang-woo, will participate in the FIFA Series 2026 in Cuiaba, Brazil, from April 12 to 19 (Korean time).
After the Asian Cup, the national team will start a full-fledged system improvement and adaptation to the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil.
Starting with the match against Brazil at 10:30 a.m. on April 12, the national team will play Canada at 4 a.m. on April 15 and Zambia at 4 a.m. on April 19. The stadium is all Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba.
The FIFA series is a friendly tournament project organized and supported by FIFA so that national teams from different continents, who have few chances to face off, can easily play A matches. It will be officially launched this year after the pilot operation in 2024, and the women will be operated for the first time during the A-match period in April. Women's matches will be held in four countries: Brazil, Ivory Coast, Thailand, and Kenya, and our national team will be invited to participate in next year's World Cup tournament in Brazil.
Since Shin Sang-woo's appointment, the association has continued to play away friendly matches with women's soccer powerhouses such as Japan, Spain, the Netherlands, and Australia to support the women's national team to grow through international game experience. This direction will be maintained in the process of preparing for the World Cup after the Asian Cup, he said.
The 26-member convocation list has changed to eight spots compared to the last Asian Cup. Major players who need to manage their condition were excluded due to injuries and their team schedules. On the other hand, Lee Geum-min (Birmingham City), who had been excluded since the E-1 Championship in July last year, returned for the first time in eight months. Lee Geum-min, who played in 99 A matches, will join the Century Club if he participates in any of the three FIFA series.
Coach Shin Sang-woo, who has been steadily observing the WK League since his inauguration and discovering new players, continued the trend of generational change again this time and called out a large number of new players.
Goalkeeper Kang Ji-yeon (Kang Jin Swans) and midfielder Jung Yoo-jin (Gyeongju KHNP), who played in the 2018 U-17 World Cup, as well as defensive resources Kim Min-seo (Incheon Hyundai Steel), Seo Ye-jin (Suwon FC), and Choi Min-ah (Hwacheon KSPO), were also honored with their first A-match selection. Defender Cho Min-ah (Sejong Sports Toto) will return to the national team for the first time in a year, while Kang Ji-woo (Incheon Hyundai Steel), the top scorer at the 2019 AFC U19 Championship, has also been selected for the A-team for the first time in six years since February 2020.
Head coach Shin Sang-woo said, "This FIFA series is the best stage to test the combination of individual skills and tactics of young players who played in the Asian Cup and newly selected players for the national team," adding, "We aim to develop adaptability and performance in practice as we play consecutive games with strong overseas teams in the host country of the World Cup."
The team will convene on the 6th and leave for Brazil immediately.
▶GK: Kang Ji-yeon (Kang Jin Swans), Ryu Ji-soo (Sejong Sports Toto), Woo Seo-bin (Seoul Metropolitan Government)
▶DF: Shin Na-young (Brooklyn FC, USA), Choo Hyo-joo (Otawar Lapid, Canada), Kim Min-seo (Incheon Hyundai Steel), Kim Jin-hee (Gyeongju KHNP), Noh Jin-young (Mun Kyung-sangmu), Seo Ye-jin (Suwon FC), Cho Min-ah (Sejong Sports Toto), Lee Min-hwa and Choi Min-ah (Hwacheon KSPO)
▶MF: Kang Chae-rim (Montreal Rose, Canada), Kim Shin-ji (Rangers, Scotland), Park Soo-jung (AC Milan, Italy), Minyoung Jung (Ottawar Lapid, Canada), Lee Geum-min (Birmingham City, England), Lee Eun-young (MoldeFK, Norway), Kim Min-ji (Seoul Metropolitan Government), Park Hye-jeong (Incheon Hyundai Steel), Jeong Yu-jin (Gyeongju KHNP), Son Hwa-yeon, and Song Jae-eun (Kangjin Swans WFC)
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*This content was translated by AI.
